Express Entry rounds of invitations: Category-based selection
In category-based rounds of invitations, we invite candidates in the Express Entry pool who are eligible for a specific category established by the Minister to meet an identified economic goal. We invite candidates to apply for permanent residence based on criteria such as
- ability to communicate in a specific official language
- work experience in a specific occupation
- education
Category-based rounds add to general and program-specific rounds by inviting top-ranking candidates who can help us meet these specific economic goals.
We’ll announce the chosen categories in advance.
Candidates with a provincial or territorial nomination
We’ll continue to invite candidates with a provincial or territorial nomination through general and Provincial Nominee Program-specific rounds. These candidates have demonstrated they have the skills, education and work experience to contribute to the province or territory’s economy.
Step-by-step guide to category-based selection in Express Entry
This step-by-step guide shows how category-based selection differs from the current Express Entry process and which steps are the same.
A step-by-step guide to category-based selection in Express Entry (PDF, 3 MB)
How we choose and report on categories
We choose categories based on
- labour market information and projections
- input we received from our partners, including provinces and territories, and stakeholders across the country
Each year, we’ll report to Parliament on
- the categories we chose the previous year
- why and how we chose them
- the instructions to establish a category
- the number of invitations we issued for each category
We’ll also
- include information about category-based selection in the Express Entry Year-End Report
- monitor and assess categories on a regular basis
Categories chosen for 2023
For 2023, we chose these categories:
- French-language proficiency
- Healthcare occupations
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations
- Trade occupations
- Transport occupations
- Agriculture and agri-food occupations
Who is eligible
To be eligible for an invitation through a category-based round, you must
- meet the minimum criteria for Express Entry, including being eligible for 1 of the 3 immigration programs it covers and
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
When we hold a category-based round of invitations, we’ll
- rank candidates in the pool who meet the category requirements and
- invite top-ranking candidates to apply for permanent residence
Eligibility for the French-language proficiency category
To be eligible, you must
- have French-language test results that show a minimum score of 7 in all 4 language abilities on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
Eligibility for the healthcare occupations category
To be eligible, you must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of full-time, continuous work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience)
- in a single occupation listed in the table below
- in Canada or abroad
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
|---|---|---|
Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors |
31300 |
1 |
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses |
31301 |
1 |
Nurse practitioners |
31302 |
1 |
Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine |
31100 |
1 |
Specialists in surgery |
31101 |
1 |
General practitioners and family physicians |
31102 |
1 |
Dentists |
31110 |
1 |
Veterinarians |
31103 |
1 |
Optometrists |
31111 |
1 |
Chiropractors |
31201 |
1 |
Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating |
31209 |
1 |
Dieticians and nutritionists |
31121 |
1 |
Audiologists and speech language pathologists |
31112 |
1 |
Physiotherapists |
31202 |
1 |
Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment |
32109 |
2 |
Occupational therapists |
31203 |
1 |
Kinesiologists and other professional occupation in therapy and assessment |
31204 |
1 |
Medical laboratory technologists |
32120 |
2 |
Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations |
33101 |
3 |
Other assisting occupations in support of health services |
33109 |
3 |
Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals |
31303 |
1 |
Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists |
32103 |
2 |
Medical radiation technologists |
32121 |
2 |
Medical sonographers |
32122 |
2 |
Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists |
32200 |
2 |
Other practitioners of natural healing |
32209 |
2 |
Massage therapists |
32201 |
2 |
Licensed practical nurses |
32101 |
2 |
Paramedical occupations |
32102 |
2 |
Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates |
33102 |
3 |
Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants |
33103 |
3 |
Psychologists |
31200 |
1 |
Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies |
41301 |
1 |
Education counsellors |
41320 |
1 |
Instructors of persons with disabilities |
42203 |
2 |
Eligibility for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations category
To be eligible, you must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of full-time, continuous work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience)
- in a single occupation listed in the table below
- in Canada or abroad
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
|---|---|---|
Engineering managers |
20010 |
0 |
Architecture and science managers |
20011 |
0 |
Computer and information systems managers |
20012 |
0 |
Civil Engineers |
21300 |
1 |
Electrical and electronics engineers |
21310 |
1 |
Industrial and manufacturing engineers |
21321 |
1 |
Metallurgical and materials engineers |
21322 |
1 |
Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) |
21311 |
1 |
Architects |
21200 |
1 |
Landscape Architects |
21201 |
1 |
Urban and land use planners |
21202 |
1 |
Land surveyors |
21203 |
1 |
Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries |
21210 |
1 |
Data scientists |
21211 |
1 |
Cybersecurity specialists |
21220 |
1 |
Business systems specialists |
21221 |
1 |
Information systems specialists |
21222 |
1 |
Web designers |
21233 |
1 |
Database analysts and data administrators |
21223 |
1 |
Software engineers and designers |
21231 |
1 |
Computer systems developers and programmers |
21230 |
1 |
Software developers and programmers |
21232 |
1 |
Web developers and programmers |
21234 |
1 |
Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers |
41400 |
1 |
Eligibility for the trade occupations category
To be eligible, you must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of full-time, continuous work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience)
- in a single occupation listed in the table below
- in Canada or abroad
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
|---|---|---|
Welders and related machine operators |
72106 |
2 |
Electricians (except industrial and power system) |
72200 |
2 |
Plumbers |
72300 |
2 |
Carpenters |
72310 |
2 |
Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics |
72400 |
2 |
Machine fitters |
72405 |
2 |
Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics |
72402 |
2 |
Elevator constructors and mechanics |
72406 |
2 |
Residential and commercial installers and servicers |
73200 |
3 |
Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers |
72014 |
2 |
Eligibility for the transport occupations category
To be eligible, you must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of full-time, continuous work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience)
- in a single occupation listed in the table below
- in Canada or abroad
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
|---|---|---|
Managers in transportation |
70020 |
0 |
Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors |
72404 |
2 |
Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors |
93200 |
3 |
Transport truck drivers |
73300 |
3 |
Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors |
72600 |
2 |
Air traffic controllers and related occupations |
72601 |
2 |
Deck officers, water transport |
72602 |
2 |
Engineer officers, water transport |
72603 |
2 |
Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators |
72604 |
2 |
Railway carmen/women |
72403 |
2 |
Eligibility for the agriculture and agri-food occupations category
To be eligible, you must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of full-time, continuous work experience (or an equal amount of part-time work experience)
- in a single occupation listed in the table below
- in Canada or abroad
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
| Occupation | 2021 NOC code | 2021 TEER category |
|---|---|---|
Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors |
82030 |
2 |
Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services |
82031 |
2 |
Butchers- retail and wholesale |
63201 |
3 |
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